Chinese actors, pop stars and other popular figures with public accounts on one of the country’s most popular social media platforms will no longer be allowed to post or share political news, according to restrictions issued Thursday by China’s State Council Information Office (SCIO).

Under China’s first rules that target instant messaging services, holders of public WeChat accounts, similar to verified pages on Facebook, must also sign an agreement to abide by “the socialist system” and “national interests,” among other principles paramount to what Beijing officials have called “a clean cyberspace,” according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. These users will additionally be required to use their real name, confirmed by a background check.

Only approved news organizations and other authorized websites can post or share political news on the social media platform, owned by Tencent Holdings, officials said. Chinese officials added that organizations like People’s Daily, CCTV, Xinhua News—all run by the Chinese government—have been allowed to disseminate news to promote authenticity and accuracy.

Tencent said Thursday that it has deleted about 400 of WeChat’s 5.8 million public accounts and 3,000 articles found to be “spreading rumors,” but it was unclear if the shutdowns were related to the new policies, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Still, other Chinese citizens, particularly those with public accounts, took to media outlets not owned by the Chinese government to express concern. Wang Guanxiong, owner of a public WeChat account that posts about current affairs, told the South China Morning Postthat “the rules are aimed at supporting government-backed media companies, while discouraging individual publishers, some of whom have gained much social influence.”

Thank you!

For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.